It is the policy of the Washington State Board for Community College Education that the responsibility for resolving local disputes should rest with the college board of trustees and that the State Board should monitor, but not directly participate in the process of dispute resolution. However, state legislation has empowered the State Board with the general supervision and control of the community college system and authorized the Board to intervene in disputes before they reach the stage of affecting the entire community college system. The types of situations where the Board is prepared to intervene are those in which: (1) major media outside of the community in question regularly report the dispute; (2) the dispute reflects badly on the other districts and the Board is required to intervene; or (3) state legislators or the governor ask the Board for a response or request that it take action. Differences as to the degree of local and state control over local disputes can be resolved through recognition that ultimate power over local disputes lies with the State Board, but that the Board has no wish to intervene in cases where problems can be solved locally and will only become involved when the dispute has ramifications for the community college system as a whole. (HB)